Bangladesh’s prisons at breaking point: 226 inmates for every 100 places

Prison walls are meant to keep inmates behind bars, but overcrowding is stripping away even their last measure of comfort. Facilities intended to hold people awaiting trial have become places where finding room to sleep is a daily struggle. Burdened with more than twice their intended population, Bangladesh’s prisons have become a stark reflection of a growing humanitarian crisis.

A little breathing space, somewhere to rest one’s head, or the minimum conditions for a healthy life are increasingly becoming luxuries behind bars. Across the country, prisons are so overcrowded that 226 inmates must share space designed for 100.

According to data published by the World Prison Brief (WPB), Bangladesh’s prisons held an average of 226 inmates for every 100 places as of October. Nearly two-thirds of the prison population had yet to complete their trials. The strain of housing more than twice the intended number of inmates is deepening the humanitarian crisis, while lengthy judicial proceedings are prolonging it.

Among South Asian countries, Bangladesh has the highest prison occupancy rate relative to its official capacity, according to the WPB. Government figures put the country’s prison capacity at 45,186. Yet, as of September, the prison population stood at 102,180—equivalent to 226.1% of capacity. By late September, figures from the Department of Prisons showed that the number had risen further, to around 106,000.

The WPB, which publishes prison data from around the world, is hosted by the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London, in the United Kingdom. Its figures show that Sri Lanka comes closest to Bangladesh’s level of overcrowding, with a prison population equivalent to 216% of capacity.

The rate stands at 163% in Pakistan, 144% in Nepal, 113% in India and 112% in Myanmar. The scale of the global problem is even more striking in the Republic of the Congo, where the prison population reaches 617% of official capacity. At the other end of the spectrum is Nauru, with an occupancy rate of just 14%.

The growth of Bangladesh’s prison population has a long history. In 2000, the country held 62,669 inmates. By 2008, during the caretaker government, the figure had risen to 86,838. In 2020, the prison population stood at 88,084.

According to WPB data, around 88,000 people were in custody on 4 August 2024, the day before the fall of the government. By 12 August, the number had dropped to 49,000. It subsequently began rising again.

Colonel Mohammad Mostafa Kamal, acting inspector general of prisons, told Views Bangladesh that the country typically holds between 80,000 and 82,000 inmates. The figure has now exceeded 100,000.

He attributed the growing pressure on prisons to an increase in arrests during law enforcement operations, as well as in cases involving drugs, cybercrime and juvenile crime.

But the deeper problem lies in the slow pace of the judicial process. According to the WPB, 66.9% of Bangladesh’s prison population consists of pre-trial detainees—meaning nearly two out of every three inmates have yet to complete their trials.

The proportion is 73.4% in Pakistan, 72.6% in India, 72.4% in Sri Lanka and 53% in Nepal. San Marino ranks first globally in the proportion of pre-trial detainees, with the WPB reporting that its entire prison population is awaiting trial.

Bangladesh currently has 75 prisons: 15 central prisons and 60 district prisons. The prison system in the region dates back to 1788, when a criminal ward was established in Dhaka. More than two centuries later, the widening gap between prison capacity and the number of inmates remains a major challenge.

Retired Supreme Court justice Abu Tariq told Views Bangladesh that overcrowding at more than twice official capacity was forcing many inmates to live in inhumane conditions. Building new prisons and expanding existing facilities were both necessary to improve the situation, he said.

He also pointed to the heavy caseload facing the judiciary, with individual judges handling thousands of cases. The resulting delays in disposing of cases have a direct impact on people held in pre-trial detention, he said.

Ahsanul Karim, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, argued that increasing the number of judges must go hand in hand with providing them with adequate logistical support and technology.

He said the adoption of e-judiciary systems, automation of judicial proceedings, alternative dispute resolution in civil cases and plea bargaining in criminal cases could help ease the pressure on the courts.

Simply building higher prison walls will not resolve the crisis. Without adequate infrastructure, sufficient medical care, decent food and timely trials, overcrowding will continue to intensify.

Above all, the prolonged detention of people whose trials have yet to conclude raises renewed questions about the speed and humanity of the justice system. When 226 people are confined in space intended for 100, the crisis cannot be contained within prison walls. It extends across the entire justice system.